More than 80,000 children and young people in England waited over a year for NHS community health care, according to the Care Quality Commission’s annual State of Care report.

The report, published on 23 October 2026, found that 81,986 children and young people were waiting more than a year for a community health service appointment in March 2026 — a rise of 129% in two years. Over the same period, the number of adults waiting over a year fell by 24%, from 9,929 to 7,502.

Children were therefore almost 11 times as likely as adults to face a wait of more than a year. Nearly two-fifths of the children waiting over a year — 39% — had been waiting for more than two years.

Most waits are for paediatric services

The vast majority of the long waits were for community paediatric services, which include assessments for neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Of all children waiting for community health services in March 2026, 92% were waiting for community paediatric care.

The total number of children waiting for a community health appointment also grew, rising 14% from 282,244 in April 2024 to 321,817 in March 2026. The number of adults waiting rose 12% over the same period, from 795,270 to 892,435.

The regulator said its joint inspections with other agencies had shown “the profound impact” that delays in assessment and care were having on children and their families.

Mental health waits getting longer

Demand for children’s mental health care is also rising, and waits for it are growing longer. The number of children waiting for first contact with mental health services rose by 31% in two years, from a monthly average of 237,590 in 2023-24 to 311,070 in 2025-26.

The length of that wait has doubled. Children waited an average of 12 months for first contact with mental health services in March 2026, up from 5.8 months in April 2023.

Reacting to the findings, Dr Ronny Cheung of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said children faced “some of the longest waits in the NHS”. He added: “As a paediatrician, I am sick of seeing children wait so long for support that they miss crucial opportunities to improve their health and development.”

A system under pressure

The report presents a mixed picture overall. It found signs of progress for adults, including more GP appointments and shorter waits for planned hospital care, with the elective waiting list falling from 7.5 million to 7.3 million. But it warned that “progress risks being outpaced by people’s increasing need for care”.

Siva Anandaciva of the King’s Fund pointed to the decline of specialist roles that provide early help, such as school nurses and health visitors, alongside growing demand for mental health services. He said this was “leaving children waiting too long for support at a critical point in their lives”.

The report also found sharp geographical differences in children’s physical health. Hospital admission rates for bronchiolitis, a respiratory condition linked to deprivation, remain more than 50% higher than 10 years ago, with northern England worst affected. Tooth decay among children in the most deprived areas was more than double the level in the least deprived areas.

Government response

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said the government would take action, adding that the health secretary had committed to “go further to end corridor care, transform support for mothers and children, and deliver a new national care service”.

The findings come weeks after a major government-backed review found that the process for diagnosing ADHD and autism in England needed a “fundamental shift” so children receive timely support.

For families, the report’s message is stark: while waiting times for most adult services are improving, children’s services are moving in the opposite direction, and the waits are longest for the children who need help earliest.